GOP lawmakers: Yes on ‘stand your ground,’ no on John Kasich’s gun control ideas

GOP lawmakers: Yes on ‘stand your ground,’ no on John Kasich’s gun control ideas

Students from several schools across the Cincinnati region walked out of their classrooms on the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Enquirer photo staff COLUMBUS – Despite pleas from Republican Gov. John Kasich and recent, high-profile shootings, Ohio’s GOP lawmakers would rather pass a “stand your ground” proposal than the governor’s ideas on gun control. Legislators plan to vote next week on a proposal that allows gun owners to "stand their ground" when threatened in public, newly minted Speaker Ryan Smith, R-Gallia County, said Tuesday. The bill would eliminate a legal requirement to try to retreat before shooting in a public place. Prosecutors say the bill would make it harder to charge a gun owner for shooting someone. Under the proposed changes, the prosecutor would have to prove the shooter was not acting in self-defense. Currently, accused shooters must prove they were defending themselves. Current law allows people to fire at an intruder in their home or vehicle, often called “castle doctrine.” Kasich has already said he would veto a "stand your ground" bill. But Smith said he likely would have the 60 votes in the Ohio House needed to override Kasich’s veto pen. “There’s a lot of support for that bill,” Smith told reporters Tuesday. What doesn’t have support? Kasich’s package of proposals to curb gun violence . Most controversially, he wants to allow police to take a person’s weapons if a court decides he or she poses a threat. […]